Grain Mill Tips

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What can I grind?

The Grain Mill Attachment is designed for low-moisture, non-oily grains such as wheat, corn, rye, oats, rice, buckwheat, barley, and millet.

Do not grind:

Coffee beans in your Grain Mill; their high oil content can damage the grinding mechanism.
Grains or nuts with a high moisture or oil content, such as sesame seeds, peanuts, sunflower seed, and soybeans.
These can also damage the grinding mechanism.

Suggested grains

These low-moisture, non-oily grains may be ground in your KitchenAid® Grain Mill:

WHEAT — Many different types of wheat are grown in the United States.

Hard wheat, with a high percentage of protein, is generally considered best for bread flour; soft wheats are preferred for cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.
Mix hard and soft wheats for all-purpose flour.

CORN — Grind fine for baking, coarse for corn meal mush.
RYE — Combine rye flour with wheat flour for best results with rye bread; rye does not contain enough gluten for good rising.
OATS — Oats must be hulled before grinding for flour, or use rolled oats.

Oat hulls prevent proper feeding of grain into grinding burrs.
In most recipes you can substitute oat flour for up to 1⁄3 of the all-purpose flour.

RICE — Both white and brown rice grind well.
BUCKWHEAT — For best results, buckwheat should be hulled before grinding. Raw and toasted buckwheat both grind well.
BARLEY— For best results, barley should be hulled before grinding.
MILLET— Before grinding, toast millet in a heavy, dry skillet to bring out this very small grain’s unique flavor. Stir constantly to prevent burning.

Your local library or health food store can provide more information on grains.

Tips for milling grain

It is not necessary to press grain into the Grain Mill hopper with your hands or any utensil.
The moving grind worm will feed the grain into the grinding burrs.

How much can I grind?

Note: Do not grind more than the equivalent of 10 cups of flour on Speed 10 at one time without allowing the mixer to cool at least 45 minutes before using again.

Note that one cup of most grains yields between 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups of flour.
One cup of oats yields 7/8 cup of flour.

Consistency of grind

At the finest setting, the consistency of the flour will not be as fine as store bought white flour, but more comparable to fine cornmeal.
This is because the mill is using the entire grain berry including the bran that is removed for white flour.
Commercial grinders sift out some part of the berry before marketing the flour.
The original grain mill (GMA) did not grind as finely as the later models KGMA and KGMA.

Storing fresh flour

If you grind more flour than your recipe requires, store it in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent it from becoming rancid, since this product contains no preservatives.

Types of Grain Mills

There have been several different grain mills. GM (1967), GMA, (1979) KGMA , KGM (2010-present)
The newer models will grind finer than the original ones.
The original model, the GMA, (1979- )did not have pre-set grind settings, so required more effort to select the grind.
The newer versions (KGMA and the KGM) grind settings are pre-selected.
The original model has an embossed "water wheel" on the grind knob.

KGM Grind Knob.jpg

Care and Cleaning

Clean burrs and other mill parts with the provided brush.
The Mill does not necessarily need to be cleaned after every use, but should be brushed when changing types of grains.
If needed, a toothpick may be used to clean the burr grooves.

IMPORTANT: Do not wash Grain Mill or any of its parts in an automatic dishwasher.

If the Grain Mill must be cleaned, wash it by hand with mild detergent and warm water.
Dry thoroughly with a towel.
Allow to air dry.
Do not reassemble until next use.
If burrs are not completely dry, grain may clog the mill.
If the unit is to be stored for a long period of time, lightly coat the burrs with mineral oil.
Before next use, hand wash as directed above to remove the mineral oil.

Noise

The grain mill can be rather noisy when in use. This is completely normal.

Grind Selection Wheel Difficult to Turn

The grind selection wheel can be difficult to turn prior to turning it on.

To make it easier to change the grind, begin by first turning the grinder on to begin processing the grain, then turn the grind wheel while it is grinding.